In distributed computer networks, being able to locate individual computers, servers, or various other machines on the network is critical. On the Internet, one of the most valuable identification resources is the domain name. Internet domain names provide a convenient way to reference Internet Protocol (IP) numerical addresses. Presently, IP addresses are 32-bit integers. They comprise four numbers separated by periods. Every “host” machine (e.g., computer, etc.) connected to the Internet must be identifiable by a specific numerical IP address. However, people prefer to reference host machines by pronounceable, easily remembered names, referred to as “domain names.” The Internet implements a Domain Name System (DNS) to facilitate matching specific domain names to specific hosts.
The DNS is a distributed database system that allows computer applications to map between domain names and IP addresses. The DNS also provides electronic mail routing information and many other services. Individual components of the DNS distributed database can be cached locally, or stored on any of numerous distributed machines. The DNS database data correlates each domain name to a specific numeric IP address. If a computer's local cache does not have the information to resolve a domain name into an IP address, it sends a request to other computers that may contain the resolution information. The DNS affords a domain name some measure of independence from the physical location of a host. The host can be moved to a new location on the network, but it can still be accessed using the same domain name. As long as a user can remember the domain name, the host can always be located, even if the IP address changes over time. This illustrates the value of a domain name that is easy to remember.
Physically, the DNS comprises many servers and other computers or machines that run software and store data permitting computers to query the DNS database. One such machine is the “root server.” A root server is a server computer that maintains the software and data necessary to locate “name servers” that contain authoritative data for a specific domain, such as the “.com” top level domain. There are presently thirteen root servers throughout the world. Name servers are computers that have the software and data to resolve the domain name into an IP address. The data accessible through the name server is often referred to as a “zone file.” A “zone” is a subset of the total domain name space. The domain names in that subset are stored in the zone file for that name server. There is a zone file for each domain space (i.e., zone).
The DNS is organized in a hierarchical, tree structure. A domain name is the label representing a specific domain within the total possible domain space available in the DNS. The highest level in the DNS hierarchy is the “root,” which is technically unnamed but often referred to as the “.” or “dot.” The level immediately below the root in the DNS hierarchy is the top-level domain, or “TLD.” It is called the “top-level domain” because it is the highest level in the hierarchy after the root. The TLD appears furthest to the right in an English-language domain name. For example, “gov” in the “uspto.gov” domain name. There are various types of TLDs. The term “gTLD” is often interchangeably used to refer to a “global top-level domain” or a “generic top-level domain.” A global TLD is one that can be registered by an entity regardless of the entity's geographic location or political boundary. For example, a person, corporation, or other entity located anywhere in the world can register a name in the “.com” domain. However, because an entity must have a presence in the United Kingdom to register a name in the “.uk” TLD, that domain is not a global TLD. Similarly, a generic TLD represents a domain in which an entity can register a name regardless of what type of entity it is. For example, because any entity can register a name in the “.com” domain, while only military entities can register a name in the “.mil” domain, the “.com” domain is an example of a generic TLD and the “.mil” domain is an example of a “specific TLD.” The “.uk” domain is also an example of a “country code” TLD, or “ccTLD,” applicable to the United Kingdom. Other examples of ccTLDs include “.fr” for France, “.ca” for Canada, “.jp” for Japan, and “.us” for the United States of America.
By registering a domain name in a particular TLD, the TLD is sub-divided into lower levels in the DNS hierarchy. A second-level domain (SLD) is the level in the DNS hierarchy immediately below the TLD. An example of a second-level domain would be “snapnames” in the “snapnames.com” domain name. The level in the DNS hierarchy immediately below the second-level domain is the third-level domain. An example of the third-level domain would be “portland” in the “portland.or.us” domain name. Further subdivisions can be created in a similar manner. Domain names at each level of the hierarchy must be unique. Thus, while there can be only one “snapnames” registered in the “.com” TLD, there can be a “snapnames.net” domain name in addition to the “snapnames.com” domain name.
Historically, domain name registration has been conducted through a Shared Registration System (SRS) involving registries, registrars, and registrants. The SRS was created by Network Solutions, Inc. in 1999 to provide a registry backend through which multiple, globally diverse registrars could register domain names. The term “registry” refers to the entity responsible for managing allocation of domain names within a particular name space, such as a TLD. One example of a registry is the VeriSign registry for the .com, .org, and .edu TLDs. The term “registrar” refers to any one of several entities with authority to issue commands or requests to add, edit, or delete registrations to or from the registry for a name space. Entities that wish to register a domain name do so through a registrar. The term “registrant” refers to the entity registering the domain name. In some name spaces, the registry and registrar functions can be performed by the same entity. The combined registry-registrar model is implemented in many ccTLDs. The overall registration system, including multiple registries, is overseen by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is a non-profit corporation that was formed to assume responsibility for the IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management, and root server system management functions previously performed under U.S. Government contract by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and other entities.
Domain names, or more specifically domain name registrations, have become significant business (and personal) assets. Registration rights are now bought, sold, traded, bartered, auctioned and stockpiled in “inventories.” Some domain names have been transferred for consideration on the order of tens or even hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. At the time of this writing, Verisign, Inc.—the company that maintains the .com, .net, and org gTLD registry—reports over 32 million registrations in its database. Industry statistics indicate, however, that only about 10% of the domain names registered are currently in actual use, including more than just a simple holding or redirection page. Many registrations are the work of speculators.
The actual cost to register an available domain name at present is relatively nominal, ranging from $6.50 to $35 per year. This charge is assessed by the domain name registrar to attend to entering the registration on the registry, and to maintain corresponding records. It represents a markup over the wholesale fee charged by the registry. There are numerous qualified registrars for the common gTLDs, so the market for this service is competitive. The registrar business can be viable because it can be largely automated and operated through a Web site so that direct costs are low. Volume is key, however, so much effort and money is spent on advertising and various relationships with other sites to attract “traffic.” The leading registrars today each process on the order of a few million registrations or renewals per year.
New gTLDs are being added as the older ones—.com .net org—become saturated. The realm of possible names under a given gTLD is not the problem, it is immense. (Names up to 67 characters long, plus the extension, apparently can be registered today.) The trouble is that popular, easy to remember or easy to recognize names are relatively limited in number. Many of the most desirable domain names, those corresponding to well-known trademarks or generically describing commercial goods or services, are long since taken in the basic gTLD spaces.
Acquisition of a desirable domain name requires current information as the registry is changing constantly. Each registry operator disseminates updates to the corresponding domain name resolution servers around the world on at least a daily basis. One can expect this update frequency to rise toward substantially continuous. The public can access the registry directly in a “read only” fashion; in other words, the public can view information but not change it. Presently, this ability is generally implemented by the registry maintaining a public Web site (or ftp site) where anyone can get information. The WHOIS lookup, or similar functions provided by the Registry or individual registrars, can be used to identify the registrant of a given domain name. Various sites now offer these kinds of lookups, though they merely query the actual registries and/or registrar databases to acquire the data.
The challenge arises in that many users or entities are “watching” for availability of the very same names at the very same registries. The “winner” is the registrar (or individual scripting through the registrar's connections to the registry) who can “grab” (register) the newly released name before anyone else. It may have substantial resale value. Indeed, the registrar likely already has a buyer in the queue to whom to register the domain name. In any event, grabbing the name is a high-tech race where only first place wins. It is considered common knowledge in the industry that the winners are nearly always technologically sophisticated professional speculators, who either script through a registrar's connections without the registrar's knowledge, or strike arrangements with registrars for preferential access. It is also axiomatic that the average domain buyer has practically no chance of registering a valuable deleting name, a state of affairs the present invention would remedy.
To effect a registration (renewal), domain name registrants or users must work through a qualified registrar; registrants do not have direct access to the registry (except a read-only lookup or search.) In large part, this is due to the implementation of an SRS, or Shared Registration System. There is only one registry for each gTLD, as domain names must be unique globally. Each registrar qualified to service a particular gTLD has electronic access—typically a secure digital communication channel—for interacting with the corresponding registry, for example to enter or purge a domain name registration. A registration is purged, for example, if the registrant does not timely pay a renewal fee (after a grace period).
The link between a registrar and the registry employs a Registry—Registrar Protocol (RRP), a commercial example of which is the Verisign Global Registry RRP. This link into the registry is how registrars monitor the status of registered names. Various protocols can be used, one example being the Verisign EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol), which is an XML implementation for domain name related queries. As known to those of skill in the art, suitable alternative or future protocols could be employed.
The registry operator is contractually obligated to give all registrars equal access. For example, the ICANN (Unsponsored TLD) Registry Agreement provides in pertinent part: “Registry Operator shall provide all ICANN-Accredited Registrars that have Registry-Registrar Agreements in effect, and that are in compliance with the terms of such agreements, equivalent access to Registry Operator's Registry Services, including to its shared registration system.” The complete contract can be found at: http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/unsponsored/registry-agmt-11may01.htm.
Because many registrars each have a high-speed, efficient communication link to the registry, and assuming each employs an efficient communication protocol, the winner of the name-grab race is still basically left to chance. To be reliably successful at acquiring domain names, a registrar needs a way to get ahead of its competitors.